Sport - Football

Warm welcome for Bayern Munich

— PHOTO: SUSHANTA PATRONOBISH

ALL SET FOR KICK-OFF: Bayern Munich captain Oliver Kahn and former India captain P.K. Banerjee inaugurate a tournament in Kolkata.

KOLKATA: The German giant Bayern Munich had wished its outgoing captain Oliver Kahn had something special to cherish when he plays his final match for the team in Kolkata. The visitor was not disappointed when it arrived on Monday to the news of a sell-out crowd, that will be present to see the iconic goalkeeper bidding adieu to a professional career spanning more than two decades.

“It would be a unique experience to see more than 100 thousand people present to see us play,” said the Uli Hoeness, the team’s general manager, who is more famous as a member of the 1974 World Cup-winning German side. Bayern plays Mohun Bagan, which qualified as its opponent, being the oldest football club in Asia, at the giant Salt Lake Stadium on Tuesday.

The crowd, which the organiser Indian Football Association claims, would be filling the stadium’s capacity of 1,20,000. The visitors are keenly waiting to feast on that experience. “The players are very curious about playing in front of such a big crowd,” said Hoeness. “We don’t know much of Indian football but we have a chance to see it when we play our match against (Mohun Bagan),” he added.

The man in focus, Oliver Kahn expressed the same feelings as did his manager. Making a guess about the tumultuous roar that would be greeting him, he said, “I am really looking forward to playing in front of such a huge gathering.”

Reflecting on his long career, most of which he spent with Bayern Munich, he said he is generally satisfied with what he has achieved in his career. Kahn rated the 2000-2001 Champions’ League final against Valencia, which Bayern won 5-4 on penalties, as one of the high points of his career. “I have many more matches to cherish but it is difficult to pick specific instances from a long career that I had,” Kahn said.

Despite picking up animosities at times when he felt the some decisions were going against him, Kahn said he had no regrets now and never felt “deprived” at any time. Putting aside his well-publicised differences with compatriot and contender for the goalkeepers’ slot in the national side, Jens Lehmann, Kahn said, “I have no problems with him (Lehmann). We are great friends.”

Kahn reiterated that he accepted the decision of his coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who preferred Lehmann to him as the first goalkeeper in the 2006 World Cup. “I never felt deprived”, he said. I am happy now that Klinsmann is taking over as the coach. He will be starting a new era for Bayern,” Kahn added.

Kahn rated his own goalkeeping coach and another Bayern stalwart Sepp Maier as the greatest goalkeeper of all times. There are many other good goalkeepers like Gianluigi Buffon, Edwin van der Sar, but it is difficult to pick any one as such, he said. When asked whether he will be turning out as a striker in his final appearance in his professional career, he said, “I am a goalkeeper and that is my post.”

But he did not rule out a surprise saying, “but I am not a classical goalkeeper as such and will be venturing up like Chilavert,” he said referring to the former Paraguayan goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert, who also specialised in taking freekicks and penalties. “I will try to score a penalty (in the match against Mohun Bagan) if the referee gives one," he added jokingly.

The Bayern Munich team then participated in the inauguration of a community football tournament organised by Kolkata Police. Kahn read out a message in Bengali to announce the formal opening of the tournament.

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